Another victim of the now-infamous Stage 3, Don Hatton calls from Santiago, Chile with a bit of insight as to how his rally went (or didn't).  We've followed Don from his first attempt at the Dakar, the canceled 2008 edition, through his hard crash last year, to a rally this year that started with his bike nearly burning in Parc Ferme and a missing time card on stage 1.  I hope your persistence is able to see you through in the long run, Don!  

If you've ever wondered what it would be like as a "regular guy" to enter Dakar, here's your reality check. Garry Connell rings in with a brutally honest look at what it's like.

Ludo Boinnard calls from the bivouac after a day that saw him presumably retired with mechanical problems.  Fortunately time heals all wounds, in this case even mechanical ones, and he was able to complete the stage!

You'll remember this one forever, Ludo. We all will!

Don Hatton calls in with two stories; the first, how he nearly had his bike burned in the Parc Ferme conflagration, and the second, of his Stage 1 trials which included forgetting his time card and very nearly being pitched from the Rally (twice!).  Enjoy!

Hope things smooth out, Don!

Ludo Boinnard, racing in a team alongside David Casteu and Mike Pisano, gets our call ins kicked off before the ceremonial start in Buenos Aires.


Bonne Chance, Ludo!

The prep work is in the books, and competitors are about to take the start.  Watch live, via this link from Argentinian TV...



(Link expired. Hope you enjoyed it!)

Dakar 2010 is nearly here, and with the changes to the rulebook, we look forward to what could be the most wide-open competition in recent memory.  How that all plays out, of course, remains to be seen.

 

Here is an excellent interview with Cyril Despres and Marc Coma with commentary on the restrictor for the bikes larger than 450cc's, as well as their thoughts on racing in South America.  Video posted by KTM.